Improve BitTorrent Download Speeds

[Malicious Intent]

****DO NOT POST IN THIS THREAD!! IT WILL NOT BE ANSWERED! START A NEW THREAD IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS!!*****

This guide relies on the use of Azureus (http://azureus.sourceforge.net/) or uTorrent (http://www.utorrent.com) as they are highly recommended. Azureus requires Java. If after installation the application will not load, it is because you do not have Java. You are not the first to think you have Java when you do not! More information is available on the Azureus site.

If you are not currently using uTorrent or Azureus, before starting this guide:
Beginners: Please change to either uTorrent or Azureus now.
Intermediate: It is recommended that you change client now. If you choose not to, remember to come back to this section if you get stuck during the guide.
Advanced: You will likely be able to find the equivalent options in your current client, assuming your client has all the necessary options.

Other BitTorrent (http://www.zeropaid.com/bittorrent/) clients (http://www.zeropaid.com/programs/index.php?scatid=84) are available to switch to after working through this guide.

This guide has been updated for Azureus 2.5.0.0 and uTorrent 1.6. Different versions may vary.

Contents:

1.0 Why are my downloads going slow?
- 1.1 Reason 1: Your ISP is limiting your download speed
- 1.3 Reason 2: You have a “NAT Error”
--> 1.3.1 How do I know if I have this problem?
2.0 Fixing a NAT error
- 2.1 Switch off UPnP
- 2.2 Configure Your XP Firewall (ICF: Internet Connection Firewall)
--> 2.2.1 Configure ICF in SP1
--> 2.2.2 Configure ICF in SP2
- 2.3 Configure Your Router
- 2.4 Configure Microsoft Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
- 2.5 Configure Your Firewall
3.0 Multiple BitTorrent users on a LAN
4.0 Other things that could be wrong
5.0 Asking for further help

1.0 Why are my downloads going slow?

1.1 Reason 1: Your ISP is limiting your download speed

Some ISPs are limiting download speeds by controlling the bandwidth allocated to traffic using the default BitTorrent ports, which are 6881 to 6999.

This is not just a problem for those who have nasty ISPs, it affects everybody. To avoid ISPs from damaging the efficiency of a torrent with their controls, some stringent tracker owners are blocking users trying to connect on the standard ports.

So whether your ISP is limiting you or not, all BitTorrent users should stop using the default ports.

For simplicity, this guide recommends the use of port 16881. Adding a 1 to the start is simple administratively, and is in a range unlikely to be used by other programs.

You then need to set up your client to use the new port.

AZUREUS
Tools -> Options -> Connection
-> Add a “1” before the current listen port number. For example, 6881 will now be 16881.

uTorrent
Options -> Preferences -> Connection
-> Type 16881 for the port number for incoming connections. Untick the box for Randomize Port.

Whatever client you use, make sure you update anywhere else you have entered the port numbers to account for the change.

By completing this section, you have helped to avoid problems later down the line, but this will not solve the majority of slow downloads. Therefore, move on to reason 2.

1.2 Reason 2: You have a “NAT Error”

BitTorrent works on a credit system. By uploading parts of a file to other people, they allow you to download parts of the file from them. This is BitTorrents anti-leech measure. However, if you have a problem with your NAT (anything between you and the internet, such as a router or firewall), you will not get credit for what you are uploading. The only downloading that you can do is from people who upload a small amount to you in the hope that you will return the favour. Since their client will not recognise your response if you have a NAT problem, then they will stop uploading to you shortly after. This is what is causing your problem. You may also notice that torrent speeds go very high for 5 minutes, before slowing back down to 0-5kb/s.

1.2.1 How do I know if I have this problem?

You might not have a problem at all. Before continuing with this guide, leave your torrent running for at least ten minutes. If the speed hasn't picked up, stop and restart the torrent. If that fails, try at least two other torrents. If you are still having problems, continue on...

Start to download a file using your chosen client.

AZUREUS
Wait a while for the torrent to get started; this may take up to five minutes.
Look in the “Health” column. If it is showing a yellow spot, then you need to configure your firewall/NAT/router. If it is Green then all is OK. Your slow downloads are being caused by something else.
A full list of the different colours can be seen [http://azureus.sourceforge.net/faq.php#21]here[/url].

Azureus can also check your configuration for you.
Select “Tools” -> “NAT / Firewall Test”
The default TCP listen port is 6881. If you have changed the listening port, enter the new port in the “Incoming TCP Listening Port.”
Press “Test”
If the result is “NAT Error,” please continue with the guide.
If the result is “OK”, then your slow speeds are being caused by something else.

PLEASE NOTE: The Azureus checker can report a false NAT error if you are running PeerGuardian or Protowall. Make sure these are disabled before using the Azureus wizard.

uTORRENT
Wait a while for the torrent to get started; this may take up to five minutes.
On the status bar, look for either a yellow warning triangle, or a green dot. If there is a yellow warning triangle, then you need to configure your firewall/NAT/router. If it is green then all is OK and your slow downloads are being caused by something else.

uTorrent can also check your configuration for you.
Select “Options” -> “Speed Guide…”
Check the current port is set to the port used in the first section, i.e. 16881.
Click “Test if port is forwarded properly”.
If you get an error, then continue to follow this guide. If the port is correct set up, then skip to the section 4.0 – “Other things that could be wrong”.


2.0 It’s showing yellow / warning triangle, I have a NAT error – what do I do?

You need to configure your computer and/or network to accept incoming BitTorrent port connections. The tracker port is 6969. If this port is not correctly configured, downloads will not start at all. The download/upload ports used in this guide are 16881-16889. It is these ports that are causing your problems.

2.1 Disable UPnP

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), it is a feature that works with some compatible routers to open the required ports automatically. However, some routers, even if they are compatible with UPnP, have problems with this.

AZUREUS
Tools -> Options
Expand "Plugins" on the left hand tree.
Select "UPnP"
Deselect "Enable UPnP"

uTORRENT
Options -> Preferences -> Connection
Deselect “Enable UPnP port mapping”.

2.2 Configure Your XP Firewall (ICF: Internet Connection Firewall)

Please go to the appropriate sub-section.
- “Configure ICF in SP1” if you have NOT installed Service Pack 2
- “Configure ICF in SP2” if you have installed Service Pack 2

2.2.1 Configure ICF in SP1

Open up your “Network Connections”. Right click on your internet connection or LAN connection and select “Properties”.
->Select the “Advance” tab
->If the “Internet Connection Firewall” is not ticked, then this is not your problem. Research into whether you need the XP firewall or not and jump to "Configure Your Router" below. If it is ticked, please continue:
->Click “Settings…”
->On the “Services” tab press “Add…”
->Description of service = BitTorrent
Name or IP address of the computer hosting this service on your network = 127.0.0.1 (this means "the local machine.")
External Port number for this service = 16881
Internal Port number for this service = 16881
TCP/UDP = TCP
-> Press OK.

-> With uTorrent, make sure Options -> Preferences -> Connection -> "Port used for incoming connections” is equal to 16881.

-> With AZUREUS, make sure that "Tools -> Options -> Connection -> Incoming TCP Listen Port" is equal to 16881.

Check if the torrent/health has gone green. If not, move on to section 2.2.

2.2.2 Configure ICF in SP2

-> Open your Windows Control Panel and select “Security Centre.”
-> Scroll down to the “Manage security settings for:” section and select “Firewall”
-> Decide whether you want to keep the firewall on or off. Make an informed decision based on more than the information provided by Microsoft. If you decide to switch it off, then do so and move onto section 2.2. Otherwise, continue this section.
-> Select the “Exceptions” tab.
-> Select “Add Port…”
-> Name: = BitTorrent (or anything of your choice)
-> Port number: = 16881
-> TCP/UDP = TCP
-> Press OK.

-> With uTorrent, make sure Options -> Preferences -> Connection -> "Port used for incoming connections” is equal to 16881.

-> With AZUREUS, make sure that "Tools -> Options -> Connection -> Incoming TCP Listen Port" is equal to 16881.

Restart the client and wait five minutes. Check if the health has gone green or that the warning triangle has vanished. If not, move on to section 2.3.

2.3 Configure Your Router

If you are on a LAN with a router or hardware firewall, you may need to configure it. You need to forward BitTorrent’s connection ports to your specific PC on the LAN.
If your connection is shared using Microsoft Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), go to section 2.3.
There are too many routers to cover in this guide, so it is time to head to Google (www.google.com). Search for port forwarding, BitTorrent and the name of your router. Lots of manufacturers provide specific information on their sites. A generic guide to port forwarding for most routers can be found at PortForward.com (http://portforward.com/).

-> With uTorrent, make sure Options -> Preferences -> Connection -> "Port used for incoming connections” is equal to 16881.

-> With AZUREUS, forward port 16881. Make sure this matches "Tools -> Options -> Connection -> "Incoming TCP Listen Port"

Restart the client and wait five minutes. Check if the health has gone green or that the warning triangle has vanished. If not, move on to section 2.4.

2.4 Configure Microsoft Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)

If you are sharing an internet connection using ICS, then you will need to forward the BitTorrent ports.

Windows 2000 users, click here (http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/en/professional/help/howto_share_conn_config.htm) for information on forwarding (mapping) ports.

Other users:
Shock Systems used to provide a useful tool called “ICS Configuration” for changing the settings of ICS to allow full BitTorrent access to a second computer. You can download a copy here (http://cpugeniusmv.org/hosting/icscfginst15.exe) thanks to Zeropaid member cpugenuismv (http://cpugeniusmv.org/).

-> Install the program on the serving computer and run it
-> Click “+ Add”
-> Name = [whatever you want, e.g. BitTorrent]
-> Target = Local IP of machine running BitTorrent, e.g. 192.168.0.2
-> Description = [whatever you want, e.g. “allow BitTorrent for 192.168.0.2”]
-> On the “Ports” tab, slect “+ Add”
-> Select “Port Range” from the drop-down box
-> Enter “16881” and “16889” into the relative boxes
-> TCP/UDP = TCP
-> Data translation = NORMAL
-> Press “OK”, Press “Enable”, Press “OK”.
-> Close everything and reboot the PC.

The settings will be saved in your registry. There is no need to open ICS Configuration with ICS.

-> With uTorrent, make sure Options -> Preferences -> Connection -> "Port used for incoming connections” is equal to 16881.

With AZUREUS, forward port 16881. Make sure this matches "Tools -> Options -> Connection -> Incoming TCP Listen Port"

Restart the client and wait five minutes. Check if the health has gone green or that the warning triangle has vanished. If not, move on to section 2.5.


2.5 Configure Your Firewall

As with routers, there are too many to cover here, so time to head to Google. Unlike with other sections to this guide, ports only have to be opened, rather than forwarded.

With both AZUREUS and uTorrent, open port 16881.


3.0 Multiple BitTorrent users on a LAN

The same port can not be forwarded to different computers, so decide who gets which ports, for example:
192.168.0.2 = 16881
192.168.0.3 = 16882 etc.

Set up your router or ICS to forward the ports to the chosen computers.

Now you need to set up the BitTorrent Clients:

AZUREUS
Each computer only needs one port forwarded to it.
-> Tools -> Options
-> "Connection" on the side menu
-> On “Incoming TCP Listen Port” enter the port number that is being forwarded to that computer. Taking from the above example, computer 192.168.0.3 would enter 16884.
-> Repeat for all the users

uTORRENT
Options -> Preferences -> Connection -> is equal to 16881.
-> Set "Port used for incoming connections” to the port number that is being forwarded to that computer. Taking from the above example, computer 192.168.0.3 would enter 16884.
-> Press “OK”
-> Repeat for all users.

4.0 Other things that could be wrong

Try limiting your upload if you have ADSL/DSL. Sometimes BitTorrent can try to upload so much that it floods your upload, making it difficult for incoming connections. Slyck.com explains further:
It might seem strange to hear that your upload speed can directly affect your download speed, but it can, and quite dramatically. The reason behind it is based on the way the Internet works. When you download a file (or in this case, chunks of a file), your computer sends a tiny message back to the source computer, called an ACKnowledgement packet. These ACK packets tell the source computer that chunk #1 has arrived OK, please send #2. When #2 is down, it sends another, and so on. The source computer will not send #3 until it gets the ACK from #2. It uses a small amount of your upload bandwidth to do this. This works fine when downloading files off the Internet, but with P2P, you tend to upload as well.

This is especially true with BitTorrent – because you upload as well. If done efficiently, downloads can be very fast. The problem lies with the fact that you upload *so much* that the ACK's do not get sent out fast enough, which slows your download. The simplest way to solve this is to limit your upload bandwidth. 80% of the maximum is usually recommended, but I find I can set it to 90% with no adverse effects. This gives your ACKs a bit of breathing space to get out with.
CCSDUDE makes this recommendation on limiting your upload:
Try 11kbs up as your limit on a 128k upload package...double it for 256/1.5mb lines and keep going up as you hit 384/ect. That seems to be the sweet spot on BT. Enough to keep everyone happy whilst not slowing your downloads down or slowing your surfing.

Some ISPs recognise BitTorrent traffic and then limit it. Simply switching to Azureus or uTorrent will mean that you traffic will be encrypted between compatible clients. Without giving technical details, this will stop ISPs from recognising the traffic as being from BitTorrent.


5.0 Asking for further help

Start a second in order to ask for further help. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS THREAD. Please make sure that you have exhausted your Google skills before asking. Also, read carefully through this thread and others started at ZP for answers. DO NOT REPLY HERE.

Another helpful guide on how to configure your BT client can be found here (http://userpages.umbc.edu/~hamilton/btclientconfig.html).

If you still need to ask, please:
-> Say clearly what the problem is
-> Say what client you are using
-> Say whether you are on SP1 or 2
-> The exact setup of your network/ how your computer is connected to the net
-> All the software you are running
-> What you have done so far to try and resolve the problem

I know it sounds harsh, but please do not expect a response to anything like “I’ve been through the guide, what else could it be?” If you health is green, start a new thread with your problem, I don't know the answer!

++There are no restrictions on copying and editing this guide. My only request is credit where it is due.++

****DO NOT POST IN THIS THREAD!! IT WILL NOT BE ANSWERED! START A NEW THREAD IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS!!*****

[cpugeniusmv]

very well written.

good guide!

[wonderboy2005]

wow... thank you. i had just guessed that my files of choice didnt have enough users. then i DLed azurus(sp?) and checked the health thing, and it was yellow. stupid ICF... i just disabled it since i have norton running.

[Malicious Intent]

With the number of people behind NATs, this must be a really common problem, so don't worry about being the only one with a bad set up wonderboy2005. Improving one persons download speeds has made it worth my while already!
With SP2 being launched that puts the ICF on by defualt this problem is set to get worse. There are surprisingly few guides on the internet about setting up XP firewall. This one is made from a bunch of other vague guides.

[prodaytrader]

Malicious Intent thanks for your post. I have heard time and again that I needed to forward some ports on my router but since i was downloading i never thought i needed to do it. Since i read your section, i realized that even though i was downloading i wasnt doing so at its full potential. This made me finally forward those ports and since then my speeds have greatly improved. Sometimes i would get great connections and sometimes i wasnt. I never realized that i had a problem. point of advice for anyone on a router....open those ports regardless if you think you need to or not. Just do it! :P

Why are my downloads going slow?
BitTorrent works on a credit system. By uploading parts of a file other people, they allow you to download parts of the file from them. However, if you have a problem with your firewall, NAT or router, you will not get credit for what you are uploading. This is BitTorrents anti-leech measure. The only downloading that you can do is from people who upload a small amount to you in the hope that you will return the favour. Since their client will not recognise your response if you have a firewall problem, then they will stop uploading to you shortly after. This is what is causing your problem.

[CCSDUDE]

Looks good MI, try for some other clients down the road. :)

[cjules13]

I'm using the ol Experimental client, and I find that my upload for some reason caps at 50k, so therefore my download is capped at 50k... I have both settings set to unlimited... Not that 50k down consistently is terrible, but is there a way or another client that can boost the dl past 50k?

[zaphodiv]

However, if you have a problem with your firewall, NAT or router, you will not get credit for what you are uploading.

Not quite. A firewall or NAT will prvent you exchanging data with other firewalled/NATed bittorrent clients. You will get credit for what you upload but you can only upload to people with their BT port open.

With the number of people behind NATs, this must be a really common problem
Yes, it's not unusuall for a torrent with a dozen downloaders to get stuck because the people who's client can receive incoming connection finish, close their client leaving firewalled users stuck because they havn't finished and can't excahnge data.

[Malicious Intent]

Not quite. A firewall or NAT will prvent you exchanging data with other firewalled/NATed bittorrent clients. You will get credit for what you upload but you can only upload to people with their BT port open.
I'm sticking with my original statement. When the firewall is misconfigured you can see that people are snubbing you even when you are uploading to them. That is not because you can't upload to them (because you are), but because you arn't getting the credit.

cjules13, BT doesn't work on the basis of one Kb up equals one Kb down. As long as you upload at least 16k a minute to a user, they will not snub you and will continue to upload to you at the rate they have their maximum upload set at.
If you are on a 1mbit connection and you are totalling 100k, then that is about the most you will get. To increase your download, limit your upload.

[Bullet R|de]

I have an ISP which requires you use http proxies.

Azureus (unlike a few other BT clients) works and downloads fine. I DO get the green icon.. however i am only downloading at an average of about 28kb/s whereas my connection can handle 66kb/s.
I am using a torrent with 100+ seeds and downloads so thats not the problem.. I have also limited my upload speed so thats not the problem either.

Do i also have to change any configurations which might help my download speeds? Note that I have previously had troubles uploading files through Kazaa/IRC etc. if that helps any of you experts to determine the problem ;)

Windows XP firewall is disabled and i am using ZoneAlarm through which of course i allowed full access to azureus.

[Malicious Intent]

I've upgraded the guide. It now has a few sentences on 100% CPU usage based on -RaZ-'s solution. I've also added a contents, updated the guides on Azureus to reflect the changes in the latest version and a few other minor changes.
I'm hoping that the contents and 100% CPU usage parts don't damage the original simplicity.
I'm waiting for extra information on the conflicts between Xfire and BT.

[IshareManyFilez]

Hey, i'm back here from a long, long break. I did everything in your guide port forwarding disabled firewall everything yet still get a yellow light and inadequate download speeds when people upload at 100 kbs and im downloading at 10.

[The Hunter]

This thread has been stickied also.

[LiaScott]

Thanks for the guide! I'd looked all over trying to figure out how to configure that stupid firewall. Tried turning it off but that seemed to cause more problems (sudden influx of viruses) than running Azureus with it on.



1.0 Why are my downloads going slow?
BitTorrent works on a credit system. By uploading parts of a file other people, they allow you to download parts of the file from them. This is BitTorrents anti-leech measure. However, if you have a problem with your NAT (anything between you and the internet, such as a router or firewall), you will not get credit for what you are uploading. The only downloading that you can do is from people who upload a small amount to you in the hope that you will return the favour. Since their client will not recognise your response if you have a firewall problem, then they will stop uploading to you shortly after. This is what is causing your problem.


Oh! I thought my speeds were for the most part what you should expect from a slow connection/old-ish computer, but my uploads not showing up on the tracker had been bugging me. Don't want to get banned for leeching when I'm not actually leeching. Thanks again.

[moneoa]

3.0 Multiple BitTorrent users on a LAN
The same port can not be forwarded to different computer, so decide who gets what ports, for example:
192.168.0.2 = 6881 – 6884
192.168.0.3 = 6885 – 6889 etc.
In a network of AZUREUS users, each person only needs one port.
Set up your router to forward the ports to the chosen computers.


I have a wireless Linksys Router with the home P.C directly wired into the router with my laptop using the wireless functions. I use Bittornado (newest version). My question is when I forward my ports to each computer I set it up like this 192.blah.blah= 6881-6939
with my other Ip reciving 6940-6999 Does this mean because the tracker port is forwarded to the one computer I cant properly finish the donwload on the other computer? I am wondering because the download speeds and connections are never consistent with each other. (its green lighted as well) So is there a preferable way to forward the ports between the two? I have also wondered if the wireless connection effects speeds at all though I have gotten really nice speeds on my laptop (though really horrible ones) but usually the hardwired P.C plugged directly into the router never has TERRIBLE speeds...unless youconsider 40+ bad (maybe all you cable and dsl junkies not including myself, no bandwidth junkie here...really...no....really). Any insight from anyone would be helpful

[moneoa]

I'm using the ol Experimental client, and I find that my upload for some reason caps at 50k, so therefore my download is capped at 50k... I have both settings set to unlimited... Not that 50k down consistently is terrible, but is there a way or another client that can boost the dl past 50k?
your isp set these caps in place..most of the time to control what they term "bandwidth hogs"
its becoming common with all this copyright garbage and the fact some people actually do download ALOt. *cough, Cough* I have downloaded more than 50 gigs some months and they include the upload and put in in those stats as well so it can add up (not saying you do, just explaining why they would cap it)

[Malicious Intent]

Thanks Moneoa - you have just found a major mistake in my guide. The port range is 6881-6889 and the tracker port is 6969.
The tracker port does not need to be forwarded, just make sure that it is open.
Remember that you only need one port for each simultanious download. The 50 odd each you currently have is a bit OTT anyway.
I thought that the latest BitTornado, like Azureus, only needed one port now anyway?

I'm about to upgrade the guide to include some information on ICS. I will correct this mistake while I'm at it.

[pipolis]

Bittorent is way not so fast than Kazaa , it sucks all your Memory and other Computer Energies out as fast as Possible , the Time you launch this Prog , your resources are all gone , no more good Internet , even you are high speed before , Progs are going slow , even if Sp1 installed , all going down , me i call Bittorent the Vampire of the P2Prs.

If you have about 5 Films or other Pgrs , everyone sucking on you , so much that the upload is faster than your download , and finaly all upploads are sucking so much that your Line is flatten so much you not even can Surf in normal Speed.

The Best Programm i have for about Years , is Kazaa lite , and it will be until they shut it down .

greetings to all..

:devil2 Bittorent

[Malicious Intent]

I'm sorry you feel that way Pipolis.

Enjoy using k-lite.

[homie_da_clownx]

I use Azureus have forarded the one required port and my Down speeds still suck, do i need to forward that whole range? 68** - 68** (couldnt remember the exact) or should i just wait and hope? any advice would be helpful pm me whatever thanks.

[Megadeth]

alright now i've read a few of these things and i've tried every little thing to optimize speed over 5 kbs, net settings, porting, firewall, updating, icf, every stupid thing and nothing seems to work...some help?
what ip do you type into the ports? i have win xp, azerus, and am at 10.mps (80 kps)

[Malicious Intent]

Crap - I haven't been getting e-mail updates for this thread.

Homie - sorry if I missed the boat with you. Hold on another few hours.

Miniver - Thanks man, I'll take a look

Megadeth - You don't type any IPs into any ports! Have the computers on your network got a fixed IP address? The guide aims to forward a port to the fixed IP address. You then need to tell you BT client which port is being forwarded to it.

Can you tell me exactly what stage in the guide you are getting stuck at?

[Megadeth]

what? i went into internet settings to add port blah blah 6881-6889 tcp, udp 16 intotal, it won't let me leave the edit port without an address

[Malicious Intent]

Internet settings? Where exactly are you? What are you trying to set up? Router? Firewall? The Client? I don't mention internet settings in my guide.

Talk me through what you have done, what you are trying to do, and when and what your computer is bitching about. Assume that I can guess nothing.

If you are setting up the ICF, then the IP address you need to enter is the IP address of the machine that you are on. Alternatively, you can enter the computer name. Right click on "My Computer" and select "Properties". Select the "Computer Name" tab. You computer name can be found by "Full Computer Name:" Type that in instead of an IP address - but remember to remove the full-stop from the end.

[Megadeth]

ok i read your whole article and nothing is my problem i did followed everything what could the problem be?

[Cydor]

I use Torren Topia, no problems on downloading speeds....it's working great!

[Megadeth]

hmm intresting...

[Megadeth]

got a link? for TT

[forumslog]

This problem is almost driving me crazy. After a fews minutes of downloading with BT software, the computer becomes freeze and lockup, I've tried almost every BT software, and tried all the "solutions" posted on the web, inclusing changing max peer connections, fixing winsock and lsp, disable firewall and antivirus, etc., but the problem still exists. It's strange that BT used to work very well on my old computer. This one is configured with AMD Athlon XP1600+, 256M DDR, WinXP, ZoneAlarm, Norton Antivirus.... I really appreciate someone would give me a solid solution.

[Malicious Intent]

Megadeth, TT is not the solution. That is Cydor being a pain in the arse.
You must have a problem somewhere with what I have said. You said that you were in internet settings, but had to put in an IP address. Where exactly are you having this problem?

"what? i went into internet settings to add port blah blah 6881-6889 tcp, udp 16 intotal, it won't let me leave the edit port without an address"

Explain this in painsteaking detail. None of us here are mind readers.

Forumslog - uninstall ZoneAlarm and Norton and see if you still have the problem. I'm not talking switch them off - uninstall them. You can always put them back on if they aren't the problem.

[Malicious Intent]

Thanks Miniver, I just had a chance to look through what you posted. No offence to torrentbits.org, but that really isn't helpful. I've got a bit about limiting upload speed. I may put something about simultaneous uploads and connections, but the defualts are usually good. I doubt it will help more than tweeking. And uploads less than connections? lol - that is an understatement!

[Cydor]

got a link? for TT

http://www.torrentopia.com

[Megadeth]

any one else solve my problem?

[Megadeth]

can no one help me?

[cpugeniusmv]

can no one help me?
most people aren't usually awake at 4-5 AM ;)

[Miniver]

Thanks Miniver, I just had a chance to look through what you posted. No offence to torrentbits.org, but that really isn't helpful. I've got a bit about limiting upload speed. I may put something about simultaneous uploads and connections, but the defualts are usually good. I doubt it will help more than tweeking. And uploads less than connections? lol - that is an understatement!
Ok, just thought it might be useful...I'll delete it. I don't want to muck up your thread.

[nomadski]

Comin from an ubernoob pov here id like to ask the helpful guys their opinion on my situation. I used the orig bittorrent prog but wasnt satisfied with the speed so got ABC which im currently using.

The d/l speed im getting has evened out to around 80kb/s tho occasionally drops to 50 odd. However im on a 3mb blueyonder broadband connection, and compared to p2p programs i use (especially bearshare where i get the best connections) feel like im getting a bit screwed here.

Couple of my settings on ABC.....

min port:6881
max port:6999
advanced settings:untouched (NOOB!!)
max uploads:5
max upload rate:20kb/s (constantly sits here)
completed file:allow unlimited upload.

I cant seem to find any option to change number of connections, given my bandwidth i should be able to increase?

My firewall is Norton security suite and is configured to allow ABC on all ports. Okay?

Given the knowledge sitting in this forum, do u guys think i should be getting better d/l speed? Should i increase u/l speed max? Should i use a different bittorrent client?

ANY help or advice is most welcome. :)

Btw, all respect goes out to fellas like Malicious and Miniver. Its guys like you, and others who contribute stuff to forums like this, that keeps the internet, for the most part, THE place for info. Def us ubernoobs would struggle a little (!) without u, so thank you!

[Malicious Intent]

It seems strange that it settles at 80/50kbs. Your upload speed is all healthy. I see you allow unlimited upload. I trust that you have been manually stopping completing torrents once you feel you have seeded enough?

Are the torrents showing green?

Perhaps someone else with a 3mbit connection can tell you their experience. I was on 1mbit and got often downloads of 100+kb/s. You should at least get that. Fixing a computer is like a car. You can't do it without lifting the bonnet and rummaging around.

[nomadski]

Yeh i stop torrents uploading but only when ive finished d/l. If im to stop uploading during the d/l when would be the best time to do so, 25% done?

The torrents are showing green. Thing is, when i d/l off a "normal" site i get incredible speeds, like a 6mb file in 30 odd seconds from gamershell.

Im currently and im getting 29.5 kb/s!! Rubbish. Its 24.8& done so it might be done in about 15 days jeez. Its like been back on 56k. lol Is abc a slow client perhaps?

Any help is appreciated.


Please dont mention file names.

[Malicious Intent]

Well ABC is my client of chose. I don't see what you could gain from changing, at least not speed wise. Perhaps Azureus has options which if tweaked would get you your file 2 seconds earlier - but nothing like 50kb/s quicker!

Don't stop uploading whilst still downloading. The earliest you can stop it is probably 95-99% done, but I can't say that I have tried!

I honestly can't think what might be wrong. At least not something on all your torrents. What I would reccommend is going over to the ABC forums:
http://sourceforge.net/forum/?group_id=88285
And go into the help section. They are a bit more serious over there, so make sure that you are absolutely clear with what you say. Don't waste time explaining that you are a n00b. Tell them all the software and hardware that you use, including make/model/version number. Tell them how it is all set up - what connects to what and what is installed on each computer. Tell them that the torrents are running green and that you have been through the above guide.

Try and look through the other threads first. I know it is tough because they are badly named.

[Poullos]

I have an idea! How don't you try and download a well seeded torrent that has lets say at least as much seeds as peers. Preferably of a size 50 mb max. That way you can get high speeds. If your speeds still remain low then..I don't know, maybe try some other client, limit your upload lower, or whatever. You said you are downloading thief right now, but this is a very big file and I assume the seeds will be max 1/10 of the peers.

[Miniver]

From The Azureus Wiki



First Basic Speed Setting, And Some Information

To configure Azureus to get your best download speeds, you will need to know the upstream capacity of your internet connection. This information is available from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). They will in all likelyhood have provided you with a figure that looks something like this (for example): 512/256 or similar. This represents the maximum bandwidth capacity available to you on your internet connection.

What This Means:

This number (i.e. 512/256) represents in kilobits per second (kbit/s or Kbps) of your internet line's maximum speed or bandwidth. You're probably used to seeing speed measured in kilobytes per second as that is how it's commonly reported. But internet speed is sold in KiloBit (http://azureus.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/KiloBit)s (Kb), not KiloByte (http://azureus.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/KiloByte)s (kB or KiB). Please note the important distinction between the two. They are not the same. To find out how many kilobits are in a kilobyte, divide by eight. (Note: for the purposes of this document, a kilobyte is equal to 1024 bytes. Technically, correct term for 1024 bytes is actually "KibiByte (http://azureus.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/KibiByte)" and "KiloByte (http://azureus.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/KiloByte)" in reality equals 1000 bytes, but the common usage will be used not to further confuse anyone).

In the example 512/256, the "512" represents your total downstream, or download capacity, or speed, or bandwidth, available to you on your internet connection. The "256" represents your total upstream, or upload capacity, or speed, or bandwidth available.



512 / 8 = 64 kilobytes per second maximum


256 / 8 = 32 kilobytes per second maximum



If you don't know the speed of your connection, there are many good online speed tests available. A couple good free ones are available at http://www.speedguide.net and [/url]http://www.dslreports.com. Also, you can always set your speed to maximum (set Config -> Tranfer -> Global U/L or Global D/L to 0) and watch to see what range of speeds you get.



The optimal configuration for the Global U/L and Global D/L is to set them to a speed just below maximum. The reason for this is to prevent your connection from getting flooded. If too much information is being received, there may not be room for data that needs to be sent and vice versa. Even if you are only uploading or only downloading, there still has to be room for things like acknoledgement signals (ACKs) and resend requests and etc. This are commonly referred to as "overhead". If these signals can not get through, your speed will suffer. The global upload limit is by far the most important of the two, so focus on that one. Most people find setting their limits to 80% of their maximum to be optimal, but see what works best for you. Remember, speed is set in kilobytes per second.

More Things To Know

It is very important to know that, when you are seeding, or uploading a torrent, the u/l speed of your sharing is not the only thing using your upstream bandwidth. Requests made to the tracker, browser requests to load web pages, and sending email all utilise your upstream capacity. So you may experience the following difficulties when running Azureus..

<LI class="tightenable bottom">"Unable to locate server..." error message whilst browsing the web <LI class="tightenable top bottom">Connection problems
Other web related issues
If you find yourself having problems with the internet while Azureus is running, try further lowering your max upload.

The point of this section is to explain that when configuring your maximum u/l setting in Azureus, it is best not to set it to use all of your upstream capacity. Rather, it is best to set it to use a maximum of 80% of your total upstream bandwidth.

Step by Step: How To Configure This In Azureus

1) Run Azureus.

2) Go to View>Configuration>Transfer>KB/s global max upload speed (0: unlimited) Depending on the individual version of Azureus you are running, there will either be a drop down menu or a box to type a number into.

3) Select or enter your max upload speed. To make this determination, for the example 512/256, the correct number to select would be 20KB/s

25KB/s would hog your entire u/l bandwidth capacity, and you don't want that, trust me. Tracker requests would be inhibited as well, which would also reduce your d/l speed. So for a 128 upstream connection, the best setting would be 8 or 9. And so on. You may do the maths here, for your individual connection. :-)

_Reader annotation: Why's that you might ask? I'll help you to do your math. If your maximum upload speed is 128 kb/s (Kilo bit per second) you have to devide this by 8 to get your upload speed in Kilo byte. In this case this is 16. The author correctly mentioned above that an optimal setting would be around 80% of that value, in this case about 13. But this is only true for a machine you do not want to use for further internet activity on while downloading since this value does not leave much bandwdth left for uploading http requests, mails and so on. It leaves enough bandwidth for BitTorrent (http://www.dslreports.com/)/Azureus to do house keeping, though. I'd recommend that if you are only downloading unattended at night or during the day, you can savely set this value to 12,13 or 14. If you want to use your machine for internet stuff, set this to 8. You also need to understand that upload speed influences download speed. So don't expect 50KB/s downloads when you are uploading at 4KB...


Final Note:

Trackers get uncountable numbers of requests made on them every day. I have seen that some people think that clicking on the "Manual Update" button will somehow increase their speeds or make an offline tracker come back online quicker. It Will Not. Clicking on the Manual Update button is for last resort checking when there is a connection problem On Your End. The more you click on the Manual Update button, the more this will destabilize the tracker, and cause it to go offline for everybody. So for the most part, Leave the Manual Update Button Alone, and your speeds will recover by themselves. (unless there are other issues, but anyway, this button will not help those either.)

Good Luck! from decibelle. :-) (minor changes from p-static and [url="http://azureus.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/DirtyEpic"]DirtyEpic)

[nomadski]

Wow! Thanks guys, will look into that..its cheesing me off summit rotten.

Thanks for the advice, cross fingers.:)

[nomadski]

OOOOOOOOoooh, forgot to mention summit actually, maybe irrelevant but.... my upload speed is currently 20 kB/s and download speed is reported as being 45kB/s, but at end of details ABC says my TOTAL SPEED is 1050 kB/s. Why is there such a massive difference? (BTW i have 2 downloads currently in action and the d/l u/l and total figures is a combination of the two).

[mxpwx]

Very nice thread malicious maybe we shoudl start oen that has aloto f torrent sites involved lol

[rfugger]

I just spent the last two nights setting up Bittorrent on my machine. Maybe someone can benefit from my experience...

I already had Shareaza 2.0 installed, and so I tried it first. After opening all the right ports on my router, and following the suggestions in the various FAQs, I had fine upload speeds (40 kB/s on a cable modem), but little to no download speed.

So I installed Azureus, switched my Zonealarm to Sygate Personal Firewall (which I figure will also solve some problems I've been having with eMule slowing the system way down), and immediately I jumped to 20-40 kB/s download. After installing UPnP, messing with my router's port forwarding was no longer an issue, but I still couldn't accept any remote connections -- my smiley faces all stayed yellow.

Changing the port in Azureus from 6881 to 6996 (or anything in the range 6890-6999) instantly doubled my speed. Then changing it to 60996 (outside the standard Bittorrent range), bumped it up to around 100 kB/s. Either this was because my ISP was throttling traffic on Bittorrent ports, or trackers preferred the nonstandard ports. I would suggest everyone try this -- there's no harm in it. But still no remote connections.

Then I tried with no Sygate firewall, and remote connections worked fine. So, despite the fact that javaw.exe had full server permissions in Sygate, I realized I had to add three custom "advanced" rules to open Azureus' ports (TCP 60996, UDP 60996, and TCP 6969, allowed, incoming and outgoing, for any application). [Zonealarm always opened whatever ports pre-approved applications wanted....]

Now I have green faces (remote connections accepted) and 200 kB/s+ downloads. Actually, the high speed over so many connections seems to be bogging down my router, causing the network to frequently stop and often requiring a reboot, so I'm going to update the firmware, and also my NIC's driver, and see if that helps. Otherwise, I'll be contented with a self-imposed 120 kB/s DL limit, which seems stable for my hardware.

[Class316]

5.1 Client or program freezing

Symptoms: Torrent starts well, achieving good speeds. Speed then falls to zero. This is followed by the client freezing, computer freezing and/or loss of internet connection.

Solutions: 1) This is a common problem with ZoneAlarm 5. Switching it off may not solve the problem. It is recommended that users switch back to version 4.5.
2) Norton Anti-virus sometimes tries to scan the chunks which make up the files you are downloading. Get yourself a decent anti-virus program!

I have this problem. My connection dies and I have to turn the cable modem on and back off. I don't have ZoneAlarm5, and Norton is disabled when downloading. So what could be the cause?

[Megadeth]

well ok went 1. control pannel, 2. network + internet connections, 3. network connections, 4. then to LAN, 5. properties, 6. advanced, 7. settings, then inside add... then previous. said ok? :)

[Miniver]

I have this problem. My connection dies and I have to turn the cable modem on and back off. I don't have ZoneAlarm5, and Norton is disabled when downloading. So what could be the cause?
You need to limit the amount of upstream you are using. If you flood your upstream with too much bandwidth on a cable modem it will kill you connection. Try to restrict it to about 80% of maximum. If your bittorrent program doesn't have a place to do this, try Netlimiter.

[Class316]

You need to limit the amount of upstream you are using. If you flood your upstream with too much bandwidth on a cable modem it will kill you connection. Try to restrict it to about 80% of maximum. If your bittorrent program doesn't have a place to do this, try Netlimiter.

I use the normal BT program. What is the best BT program that allows you to limit upload to 80%?

[Miniver]

Best is really subjective. I use azureus.

[Malicious Intent]

I get a feeling this thread is generated more questions than it is solving!

At least have had a good experience rfugger! Sometimes limiting connections can stop hardware crashing.

Class316 - Nearly every program has an upload limiter. I had problems with Tornado, but I think that was just a bad experience. ABC uses the Tornado core, but has no problems with the upload limiter. Azureus has a "connect peers slowly" option (or something to that affect) which may help. Miniver can probably give more guidence on that than me.

Megadeth - I will get back to you ASAP.

[Malicious Intent]

Megadeth - the guide explains what to put in that box:

Name or IP address of the computer hosting this service on your network = 127.0.0.1 (this means "the local machine.")

So put 127.0.0.1

[Megadeth]

i put that into the box then i checked it again and instead of 127.0.0.1 it came up as your-sz6x6sefxo
whats up with that?

[Megadeth]

o ya and its not much faster, if i download more then one file at a time the speed halves, the highest i can get with one dl is 13kb/s

[YWD67]

Use Bit Tornado and have run two downloads and was getting 124kb/s on one and 150kb/s on another at the same time usning a cable modem. Only time I get a slow download is if there is only a few to draw from or the other people have slow upload speeds.

[Malicious Intent]

Hmm, I can't recreate that problem.

OK - delete 127.0.0.1 from the "Name or IP address of the computer hosting this service on your network" box.

"Start" then right-click "My Computer"->"Properties" ->"Computer Name" tab.
Copy "Full computer name:"

Paste it into the "Name or IP address of the computer hosting this service on your network" box.

[freefalling]

Ok , I have been through this thread and don't have any "health" problems, firewall to configure or any of the kind. I have limited my upload speed to 20kB/s. I have ABC and are downloading a new movie and everything is green as grass. I am not quite sure if I am downloading as fast as I can. It's been going for 2 hours and I reached 50kB once but averaging out at about 20 and sometimes as low as 10. Is this normal. ETA for the file is 3 days!!! To slow methinks!? I've tested my speed and it is about 180KB for downloading and 25 for uploading. I have an ADSL connection.

Any advice on how to push the speed?

[Megadeth]

...............

[freefalling]

Ok, I have given my download some time to settle and left it overnight and it is sailing at 40kB, sometimes touching 60., but i still think I can do better or am I dreaming? I don't have any problems with firewalls or anything like that but will it help if I open another port, because my download might be limited by my ISP through the known ports, according to other posts in this forum?
Please help.

[Class316]

Another thing, how do you know what you're upload limit it (to know what to cap)?

[dragoonvengance]

MI thanx for the info but it seems to of not changed anything :)

my setup is
DLS Moden -> Linksys Router -> my computer
I have been getting a Yellow light on Azerus i went threw and i changed it so the packets are being forwarded to me at 6882 which now works. It did not before i forwarded them so i know the forwarding works. I am still getting yellow. My U/L i have capped at 8kb/s. My D/L never goes above 10kb/s.

I just ran dslreports with a speed of 826 / 84. So i know my speed is more then enough to hit above 10kb/s.

[shawners]

Also buying a 56k modem instead of your 28,800 modem is another good way to increase speeds!!

[leech]

hey great guide!
ive gotten it to work but there are a few odd things going on
ok first off i downloaded Azureus and connected to torrent at suprnova. it was stuck on yellow so i followed the instructions and configuired my XP firewall[left the xp firewall on and opened up port 6881 for BitTorrent then went to configuire the router:
my dads computer(ME) is connected to the internet through a dsl modem---connected to my computer(xp) through a netgear router(model MR814v2). im not sure about my connection speeds[how can i find this out]. down on the server computer i forwarded port 6881 to be used by bitTorrent to my ip adress. instantly the torrent began running green.
3 hours later i check back on Azureus and its back to yellow. so i went back to the server computer and checked over my forwarding work and then qued up that computers ip adress. it had changed! i went to my computer and it appears that they switched ip #'s.
so i updated the port forwarding with my new ip adress and back to green again!! the server computer was ############.2 and mine was #######.3 but i guess they decided to switch as i now have the extension 2. neither computer was turned off and the dsl modem wasnt turned off either to my knowlege so is that really possible or common for two pc's on a network to switch ip's? my torrents are running green right now but i guess theres no telling when theyl pull another switcheroo on me huh? i only want to get this NAT problem out of the way right now ill worry about tweaking later but can anyone explain to me the cause of this? mabye the router or the modem??

[dragoonvengance]

haha no the computers should never switch IPs :)

[leech]

im positive they did because i had it working and then i came back and it was opposite

[dragoonvengance]

hmm well i now have a green light a little over 1 day after i set up the forwarding on the router haha... for no reason... it just turned green :)

Not sure if i should ask this here but whats the best way to determine how many peers i should limit myself to? i currently on one torrent have 200 peers all but liek 15 have me choked :) and im uploading to different people from 10-20kb/s how many should i limit it to? if i limit it will the amount of people who have me choked go down? im uploading like 3-5kb/s to like 3 people....

[Malicious Intent]

Dragoon - Connections is different to the number of people you upload to. It is the number of people you are connected to. If you have a good connection speed to the net, then lots of connections is good, as you are more likely to find a good partner. However, connections are overhead - bandwidth not spent on uploading/downloading the file - so you don't want it to high. In saying that, the defaults are usually good. 50-100 connections should be fine. In the main, leave that sort of thing. BT will sort out what is best. You will only get the file a few seconds quicker with tweaking.

Don't worry about being chocked, that is just BT doing what it does. More upload speed will mean you upload to more people, which means less choking. Choking is only temporary. It's not like your IP is getting banned.

Leech - Don't worry about it unless it keeps happening.

Class316 - check with your ISP. It should be on their site. Guess at 256 if you are too lazy to look!

[Megadeth]

help? anyone?

[Megadeth]

Malicious?

[Malicious Intent]

Sorry man, I'm on dialup at the mo. That and work and applying for real jobs and socialising and other commitments, I may be a bit slow.

Any way, I did reply to you before:

Hmm, I can't recreate that problem.

OK - delete 127.0.0.1 from the "Name or IP address of the computer hosting this service on your network" box.

"Start" then right-click "My Computer"->"Properties" ->"Computer Name" tab.
Copy "Full computer name:"

Paste it into the "Name or IP address of the computer hosting this service on your network" box.

[woodlong]

Hi there. I'm not behind a router or a firewall but i can't get remote connection either. I'm using ABC and my downloads are yellow and too slow. I have a 256k radio connection but i can't improve my downloads. Can you help me? Thanks.

[Megadeth]

i did that nothings changed

[Malicious Intent]

Switch off the damn XP firewall and get Sygate!

[cheri3]

hi, i'm sorry but i followed the instructions in the first post on how to increase the speed in ABC bittorrent, but it still wont work. The color is still yellow & i've waited a long time already. I dont have a firewall on and i did configure my 2wire home portal router already to the ports 6881-6889. Is that correct?? Am i missing anything, can any1 plz help me cuz my download is REALLY slow, the highest is bout 5kB/s.. ... and it takes me 1 day to download 1 episode [so slow] i've changed the port to but it wont work, plz HELP ^^

[cheri3]

hi, i'm sorry but i followed the instructions in the first post on how to increase the speed in ABC bittorrent, but it still wont work. The color is still yellow & i've waited a long time already. I dont have a firewall on and i did configure my 2wire home portal router already to the ports 6881-6889. Is that correct?? Am i missing anything, can any1 plz help me cuz my download is REALLY slow, the highest is bout 5kB/s.. ... and it takes me 1 day to download 1 episode [so slow] i've changed the port to but it wont work, plz HELP ^^
oh never mind, my problem was solved ^^

[Malicious Intent]

1) Try a different Torrent. I just spent nearly an hour trying to figure out what could be wrong with a friends. I tried a different torrent and it w fine. In my defence, he did say that all his torrents were yellow, but didn't say that all meant 1.
Or
2) Try using Azureus. It has a port checking feature, so you can check your connection setup. It checks the port the first time you load it. If it says the port is ok, then you know it is the torrent. <- I have been informed by Nukehella that this may not be completely reliable. Please hold back on it until further details :bk

[Malicious Intent]

Crap - I should have checked for a second page!

Glad you are sorted :D
Don't forget to hit the scales under my post count if my guide helped ;)

[marshie31]

Hi there, I have been using Azureus for a few months now and the torrents were usually green. However, since my sister has recently downloaded Azureus to her laptop, my torrents are now yellow, while her torrents are green. Her torrents were yellow before, but after she did some things it is now green. We are using a wireless broadband router (linksys wrt54g). For the laptop i have port forwarded 6881-6940 while the desktop is 6941-6999. The laptop is Win xp and i'm using Win 98. I hope someone can help me. Thanx.

[Malicious Intent]

Make sure the TCP listening port matches the prots which have been forwarded:
On both Systems:
Configuration -> Server -> Incoming TCP listening port

On the desktop, set this to 6941
On the laptop, set this to 6881

The laptop now has the earlier port range, so I am guessing that the desktop has been bumped, so the configuration is now out of date. Good luck.

[CPTMRGN]

Geetings oh wise ones in the ways of BitTorrent!! I seek your advice. I have tried everything in this forum and I am at a complete loss. I have had very slow download speeds for weeks now (.05-1.1kbs) with 596bs upload (notice that is bytes). I have tried 20 different fixes and none have worked. i assume after reading this forum that my download speed is a result of no upload. but what do i need to do to get faster upload? Any suggestions would be welcomed. Here is what i have done so far.

1. Wiped HD. Formated. installed Windows XP SP/1 w/ no updates.
2. Installed Virus protection (Mcafee) and Azurues and Java. (nothing else)
3. Bought brand new router (Belkin wireless F5D6231-4)
4. Opened ports per portforward.com.
5. www.grc.com shows 6881 open and others up to 6889 closed but not stealth.
6. called suscom (isp) to verify ports open. all are opened except 6969. they will not open it.


Azurues shows port 6881...ok. and i get green smiley faces but speeds that really suck _less than 2k with 80 seeders. FTP download is at 200k +. I did alot more configuring before i wiped the HD but since i started from scratch this should be working ...right? Thank You for your time!

[marshie31]

Thanx Malicious Intent! I get the green smiley now...=)

[Malicious Intent]

yw Marshie31 :) - Don't forget the scales under my post count!

CPTMRGN - 6969 is the tracker port. I'm surprised you can get anywhere without that, but even so:

In Azureus:
Configuration -> Tracker -> Default tracker port ->
In the box next to it, put a different port, e.g. 6882.

No idea if that will work, but worth a shot!

[CPTMRGN]

Malicious Intent - Thanks for the response. I have tried the port change and it was actually on port 6889. I switched it to 6882 like you suggested but..no go. might you have any other ideas? Anything would help. Thank You

[Malicious Intent]

I don't know much about the tracker port. I'm just trying to research it now. Try unticking the box or changing it to 6969. I'll try and find some more for you.

[Malicious Intent]

If they are blocking port 6969, they may be doing more to slow up your downloads. Try changing your listening port. More info:
http://azureus.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/PortIsBlacklisted

Since you have called your ISP before, call them again. Tell them you are trying to get a large linux based program. They may be softer if you are using BT for a legit reason. They shouldn't ask questions as it is none of their business - so don't worry if you know nothing about Linux!

When you call, ask them if they are doing anything to slow up BT. Ask what. Ask what you can do about it, as you will be needing BT regularly to get files.

[computerwizkid89]

Hi,

I tried opening up the ports on the XP Firewall as in the beginning of the guide suggested and the colour in my torrent client just stays an olive kind of colour saying it's working instead of going green so i'm wondering what I can do,

Thanks

[Malicious Intent]

computerwizkid89:
1) Continue the guide and set up anything else - eg router.
2) Try a different torrent
3) or just wait. It takes a while to go green.


CPTMRGN - I should be clearer - try my second post (the listening port one) first.

[adrianmtzk]

I forwarded my ports correctly to my ip (192.168.0.255), and now it says established, but what I'm having a problem with is the TCP Tracker Port has been reserved by 192.168.0.102, and you should know that I didn't forwarded any ports to that IP, and my PC is not using that IP, nor any PC in my house. So I'm still getting the yellow face, and downloads suck... what can I do? Thanks

[cpugeniusmv]

192.168.0.255 isn't a valid IP address, you wouldn't be able to connect to a network with that IP address.

[Whistler]

your ip is definitly not 192.168.0.255 try again

[adrianmtzk]

sorry, my IP is 192.168.0.200.... I got that wrong, but still, what can I do? because the port 6881 is established but the TCP tracker port is reserved by another IP, so I get yellow faces, what can I do?

[Malicious Intent]

So the ports are forwarded to 192.168.0.200, not 255?
The tracker port and yellow faces are unconnected. If you couldn't use 6969, then you wouldn't have any download at all. In Azureus, or whatever, change the defualt tracker port to something else if you are concerned, but I don't think it is that.

I also doubt it is your ISP limiting you, as I expect it will still go green, although continue slowly.

That means it is something else. Check ICF is off/set up properly and try some other torrents.

[adrianmtzk]

yeah I know, I got that wrong, it was 192.168.0.50
what can I do, the port 6881 is established, but the TCP port 6969 is no, so what can i do to get a green guy?

[adrianmtzk]

nope, its not the ICF, but I will try other torrents... in case that I get green in other torrents... why am I getting yelllow on this 2? is it normal>?

[adrianmtzk]

I've tried everything now, an I still get yellow man. I don't have a Firewall, I already forwarded my ports to my IP, and sometimes it says that they have been reserved by an ip that I don't know how it got there (192.168.0.102) and mine is .50

So I get port 6882 established (cause 6881 is reserved by the IP 102), and port 6969 is also reserved by IP .102

What can be happening?

[Malicious Intent]

Where is it saying that the port is reserved? On your router? Get googling, it may be a common problem. Remember that port 6969 does not need to be forwarded - only the listening port. That is why I'm convinced that is not your problem.

I'm a little confused about your setup now. You said that your IP was .255, then realised that was a mistake and it is .200, now you are saying .50? Do you know what your IP is? Do you have a port forwarded to that IP?

You did say 6881 was set up fine, now you are saying 6882 as 6881 is reserved by .102. Which is it? Does the port you have forwarded match the listening port in your BT client?

Once you have checked all that, I don't know. Sorry. You'll have to spend some time with Google. Perhaps try another site.

[adrianmtzk]

yes, my IP is .200 (when I said .50 it was an example)... and my ports are forwarded to my IP, but sometimes it says that it is reserved by .102, and I have to change it to 6882, and then it works, but what's not working, is port 6969.

[Malicious Intent]

I'll refer you back to the "port 6969 is fine" thing, then the "i'm stuck" thing.

[adrianmtzk]

ok, here is some more info... I used another client (I was using azureus, now bittorrent experimental), and it says PROBLEM CONNECTING TO TRACKER, and my donwload is 2 kb/s

does that help?

[fishboy]

ok so i've disabled both firewalls including the ICF for the time being and i am not on a router. I was wondering if i sill had to forward any ports. I'm still getting a max of 20 kb/s and getting the yellow icon. Please tell me if there is anything else i can do. any help will be extremely appreciated.

[fishboy]

also im downloading 2 files right now simultaneously and one of the downloads, although still yellow, seems to be downloading at a moderate pace( 20kb/s-65kb/s). the other one is also yello but downloading at a much lower rate( 0kb/s-15kb/s). What exactly is the reasoning behind this? sorry i just got introduce to bittorent and am just getting used to it :wings

[Malicious Intent]

Adrianmtzk - Perhaps I was wrong, perhaps it is port 6969 that is the problem. Strange that Azureus didn't show a blue icon if that is the case. Sadly this is as new to me as you. I also have the disadvantage of not being infront of your computer!

Fishboy - this isn't the right place for a discussion as to what is going on with your speeds. As for your problem, read all the way through my guide and what has been said so far. I you can't find anything, then tell me your exact set up and everything you have done. Be warned - my success rate with non-router problems is very low.

[fishboy]

well i waited and the speeds both seemed to jump to around 50-60 kb/s....i left them on overnight and theyre almost done....so i guess ill just wait :bling

[Dr. Mugabe]

MI,

an excellent guide that gave me the information (and courage) to give BT another go. Thanks a lot.

Some points of interest that I have found work for me:

I replaced Zonealarm with Kerio firewall 2.1.5 which allows port mapping after some advice from another forum. I tried to use Zonealarm 4.5 but it would not function at all.

AntiVir Guard 6.0 has done its job so far and saved me from some mischeavous worm that shut me down a few times using the RCP loophole.

The port range settings I'm using for BitTornado T-0.3.7 are not the standard ones but much higher as recommended by TorrentBits. Refusing all other connection requests has resulted in less malicious attacks but has not lowered my download speed. I'm receiving 2 films at the maximum possible speed, after some slowing using the port range 6881-6889. The ISPs are certainly throttling those ports.

There is 100% cpu useage at the moment but it is not freezing my pc, only making surfing a lot slower...

I hope this information is helpful to someone.

[Malicious Intent]

Thanks Mugabe.

I want to give this guide an overhaul, but I'm laking motivation. I want to:

Put in to stop using the standard ports
Nuke has given me some information on a PG and Azureus port checker conflict = Done. Thanks man.
SP2 updates = Done
Perhaps replace ABC with BitBuddy if BitBuddy introduces a port indicator.
Put in a quick guide to asking questions = done

[Myattboy]

I'm Currently Using ABC[Yet Another Bittorrrent Client]
I've Got Broadband With A Speed Of 300k
I Get Speeds Of 20-30 Kb/s And Need Help Getting It Up
I Also Would Like To Set Up A Router And Was Wonderin If That Would Help And If It Would Can U Help Me To Set Up One
If So Thankyou For Your Support
Paul Myatt

[Malicious Intent]

Hi Matt.

The guide can help with your speed problem. There is also a link to a site to help set up routers.

A router wont really help, except to provide a little bit of extra security from hackers and stuff. If set up properly, it wont hinder either. Choose if to have a router based on the benefits to your network. This really in't the place for that discussion though. Set up a new thread if you want.

[Hibbity]

I still can't get my damn yellow faces to turn green, which would signify an incorrect setup in my NAT. Specifically, I use Azereus, and the program tells (in the wizard) that there is a "NAT error" with my 6881 port. That said, I'm only getting 20 kBps max dl speeds (but my upload is fine. I can max it out, if I like). And I only got up to 20 kBps for like 10 seconds.

I've configured my firewall to the best of my knowledge on my D-Link Dl-624 router, turned off Windows' resident firewall program, and still cannot get the damn thing to turn green.

I'm on SP2; I, along with 2 other computers, are on a Dl-624 router with wi-fi access (I am hardwired to the router).

Under the Firewall section of the Advanced tab on my router, I have these settings:

Action: Allow
Name: Bittorrent
Source: *,*
Destination: *,*
Protocol: TCP, 6881-6889

If you know of anything I'm doing wrong, I'd love to hear it. I'm dyin' here.

[Malicious Intent]

It sounds like you set up the router firewall rather than forwarding the ports.

Click here. (http://portforward.com/dlink/di-624-portforwarding.htm)

[Myattboy]

I'm Still Gettin Really Slow Download Speeds
I've Forwarded My Ports
I've Set The Upload Rate High And Low But This Has'nt Effected My Speeds
Is There Any Other Ways I Could Speed Up My Downloads
I'm Sick Of Waited Days And Days For Somethin To Download
Please Help

[Malicious Intent]

My guide provides clear guidelines on asking for help. If you had read it properly you would know this. Go back and read it thoroughly and carefully.

[afm619]

I just signed up to the forum to offer a little bit of what I have learned trying to fix a problem that many of you have, i.e., NAT error / yellow smilies in BT clients. I apologize if this seems mundane or stupid, but I thought I would sort of give my thanks to the members of the forum who choose to help newbies like me by maybe helping out other people in turn.

My network setup at home here is two routers, connected to each other; one of them is a Netgear RP614 v2 router connected to our DSL modem. I used to have no problem with downloading torrents (green smilies all the time), but recently we changed the router that my computer is connected to--it is now a Belkin wireless F5D6231-4. I am completely un-tech-savvy, so I spent two nights figuring out just how to forward ports with the damn thing. I could enter the router setup and enter the ports, IPs, etc. and save the changes, but Azureus would still give me a NAT error; and, doing "Start > Run > netstat -a" showed that the ports I had entered were not really open. After hours of snooping newsgroups and messageboards, and help from something a poster said on another forum, I took a good hard look at my setup: my computer connected to a new router (which I couldn't get to work) connected to an old router (which worked fine for me before). Eventually, I put two and two together and guessed that the two routers weren't "communicating" properly. I went into the Netgear router configuration and found the IP address corresponsing to the new Belkin router that was connected to it. I mapped port 6881 from the Netgear router to the Belkin router, and then tried mapping 6881 from the Belkin router to my computer. Lo and behold, it worked. I guess what I'm trying to say is, "Don't overlook the setup of your network." Okay. That's it. Thank you to everyone who has offered their services here for newbies like me (but it seems like I've learned at least a little bit about how this stuff works).

[adrianmtzk]

hi there, I already solved most of my NAT problems, and I OCASSIONALY get green faces, most of the time I get yellow but when I get green, the download is still slow, but I mean like 10k/s. In azureus I have my settings like this...
10
0
15
0
1000

should I change them??? And I have checked the slowly connect new peers.

[Whistler]

As far as I know if you get green even for a bit you should have no nat problems. But to check for sure in azureus go file > configuration wizard > next > next > test. If it says ok then you have no nat problems if it says nat problem then you have a nat problem... If you dont have nat problems most likely it is just a poorly chosen torrent

[afm619]

I'm not an expert, and I don't know your exact setup, but I think you are setting your client up so you try to connect or upload to too many peers. I have 100 for maximum number of connections per torrent and 4 for default maximum upload slots per torrent (40 KB/s global max upload speed). It may also be that you are downloading torrents that just aren't being seeded very well. Perhaps one of the other members can answer your question better.

[adrianmtzk]

Hey what should I put in maximum connections per torrent, and maximum connections globally.
Because I am downloading very slow.

[adrianmtzk]

hey there, I'm experiencing very slow downloads, and I already did everything I could. I opened some ports, acutally port 7000, I did everything. Sometimes I do actually get green faces, so it is not a NAT problem, but when I get green faces I still download 15kb/s MAX, and that is with different torrents, so it is not the torrent either. Long ago, when I used Bittorrent experimental I got 120 kb/s, and now with Azureus I can't get. I dunno if the problem are my settings or what? anyone can help me?

[MACvSOG]

Switch clients. Azureus seems to be the best for most people but for some of us it just doesn't work. And all the problem posts you read seem to complain of similar things and it's always a " I have done everything the guides say but" post as well. So far as I can tell anything above and beyond what these wonderful guides say is above and beyond knowledge and ability you will find here so again try a different client until someone figures this out.

[kppdata]

You can get bittorrent here, i've found a site full of mirror to your torrent needs.

Here's the link (http://gameglitch.com/)

If you guys are still looking for kazaalite, and how to install klite 2.6 rc22, agent smith have recently release a program to help people install klite 2.6rc22 very easy.


Here's the link (http://gameglitch.com//index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=1518)

Hope this is helpful for those that have a hard time installing klite 2.6rc22

[yingjai]

my adsl can normally download at ~150kb/s and upload at 45-50kb/s.. i already changed the port settings to the one recommended and limited upload to 30kb/s.. in my ABC client, it is still saying it's uploading above the limit on the bottom right corner.. and i have 25 torrents running and my download never gets maxed.. usually downloading at ~100kb/s right now.. what's wrong? can symantec corporate antivirus affect the download speed with it's autoprotect setting? is bittorrent safe enough to turn off antivirus?
i'm using the newest Yet ABC client btw.. 2.6.9

[hoopplaya4]

I am currently using Azureus, and have port forwarded all the ports. I am trying to download on port 60996. The max i can get is anywhere from 20-40 kbps. I also fixed the firewall on SP2. However, I am sitting on a 3 Mbps line, and I would like to max out its potential. PLEASE HELP!!

[Malicious Intent]

yingjai - 25 torrents is way over the top. Have three running maximum. ABC forces a download rate of 3kbs per torrent minimum, but that is only half your problem if you have that many torrents!

hoopplaya4 - you only need to forward port 60996 - not the standard ports or the ports I use.

You both need to read and use my asking for further help guide at the end. Niether have told me enough.

[vebcaster]

Hello everybody.

After spending hours, if not tens of hours, reading faqs and forums, and heading slowly, but surely, towards nervous breakdown, I concluded that I am amongst the oh-so-many unlucky users of bittorrent who cannot get the download speed to a reasonable level. I decided to post here, in hope that maybe, just MAYBE, someone can help me get on the right track.

First of all, my setup:

Windows 2000, SP3
ADSL modem connection, and then hardware router
Shareaza latest version client (tried Azureus, got the same problem). Plenty of sources for each torrent. I tried many torrents, and many trackers.

I will put all the sizes and speeds in KBytes, not KBits. I made sure that all the speeds from all clients are in KBytes, both by checking with the program settings, and by watching the sniffer, and by simply timing the download.

I am pretty sure I set up ports correctly.

On normal (http download via IE) i get very good speeds (for my connection), 70KBytes/s and even more, from servers worldwide. However, on the bittorrent network, my speed rarely exceeds 2Kbytes/s and most of the time is it is just ZERO. It goes to 2KBytes for about 3 seconds and then back to zero sometimes it gets to ~200Bytes/s, or even (really) 1Byte/s. I once saw 30Kbytes, for about five seconds, but that never happened again.

I tried many various settings for both upload and download speed limits, the result was the same, I might as well not have tried. Shareaza CAN upload to users, and sometimes it does, but at the same supersonic speed (2Kbytes/sec).

Nevertheless, it CONTINOUSLY sends and receives packets. My sniffer shows it has ~25 inbound connections and ~25 outbound connections, on which shareaza CONTINUOUSLY sends and receives very very small packets of 1Byte-10 Bytes in actual payload size.

I REALLY don't get it. I understand (from reading the posts) I am supposed to be patient, so I was. I waited for hours and hours, my torrent downloaded some 2% of the 500MBytes, and on other torrent, with wich I was even more patient, I have some 15-20% complete of ~500MBytes. Some smalled torrents (~60MBytes) were even downloaded completely, but it took very very long time. For a normal HTTP download, it would have been a 10x (at least) faster download.

On DC++ I often get 10KBytes/s download speed, and upload speed is also pretty good (14-15KBytes). Bittorrent, by design and by the nature of the protocol used, is SUPPOSED to carry MUCH higher speeds. I must be doing something wrong, though I am unable to realize WTF that is. My patience is running out and I really don't want to uninstall the program, but I will if I don't get it to work, and soon (I am not threatening anybody :-D ).

Thank you for your patience reading my post. I assure you I DID read every post on every related forum and every FAQ I could find, and these were not few.

Please try to help me.

Thanks and Regards,
Gecko Pointdexter.

[hoopplaya4]

I would like to download faster than 40 kbps.

I am connected through a D-Link Router. (Not Wireless). On a 3 mbps line, cable. I am using Azureus, through port 16881. I have the green happy face showing. I have forwarded that port, 16881, on my router and in the windows firewall. That did help speed it up from 20 kbps.

I have no software running, like Norton, etc... I am using Windows XP, SP2, and am the person using BT. Is there anything else I could do, or have I done everything possible?